Hey all.  I know that this came out a while ago, and I apologize if this has already been mentioned here and debated...If so, Mods/Staff, please lock the thread.

If not, this is something that concerns me.  Sesame Street has introduced into its African cast a character that is HIV Positive, whose whole purpose is to normalize for toddlers the idea that it is normal for people to live with HIV.  Now, on the surface, this sounds like an honorable thing, who wouldn't be for teaching tolerance to children?

Only problem is....living with HIV is NOT normal.  Kami is a perky equivelant of a 5 year old, who looks and acts healthy, has not a care in the world.  She has a good life, and her friends are all loving and warm.  This is not the reality of a 5 year old who is living with HIV/AIDS.  I am very afraid that this character will be sending the messsage that you should not be afraid of getting HIV, since it actually does not effect your life at all.  It is just like living with diabetes, and nothing to be worried about.  Therefore, you as children should not be afraid of getting HIV, it is really no big deal.  Since this character, named Kami, is not going to provide any information on how the virus is infected, this character is providing a horribly inacurate picture of what living with HIV is really like.  

In Africa, AIDS/HIV is a huge pandemic that could potentially threaten to wipe out huge numbers of its population if they do not get things under control.  People are STILL not taking precautions to make sure that they do not get or give the virus, and they are now starting in on their own children sexually, which, in my opinion, is the most depraved thing a person can do.  It sounds to me like the main problem in this region is that not ENOUGH people ARE afraid of the virus.

Another thing, I have heard from many people that the company who produce this show are planning on introducing Kami to an American audience in the next few years, and are using the African children as a test group.  They are hoping that if we get used to the idea, when Kami finally DOES hit our airwaves, we will once again be conditioned to just accept the Lefts imposition on our children.  

I don't have any children, and I do believe that eventually, children should be taught that people with HIV are not evil.  However, if I had children, I would not want my 2-5 year old, which is the age demographic of the Sesame Street show, being conditioned to believe that HIV is somehow normal, and acceptable as a matter of course.  I would not want them getting into their heads at that young an age that having the disease is ok, and doesn't really effect your health or happiness, because the truth is that it is a horrible thing to have to live with, and I would want my children to grow up with such an everlasting fear of getting it that they would make sure that they never engage in any behaviour that would make them available for infection.

Edited to add:

here's a link to a BBC article generally talking about the character...
[url]http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/2264256.stm[/url]

This topic has already been mentioned here and debated.

Are you genuinely that concerned about South African television programming?

[img]http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/images/38260000/jpg/_38260419_muppet_kami300.jpg[/img]

that's funny,
she doesn't look African.
not that i know what African puppets look like.
maybe African puppets should look more... African...  you know.  more African.African.African.African.African.African.African.African.African.African.African.African.African.African.African.African.African.African.African.African.African.African.African.African.African.African.African.African.African.African.

with aids.  how odd.  and she acts normal.  how should an African puppet that portrays a 5 year old with aids act?